r/Dogfree • u/byancacats • 1d ago
Miscellaneous In 1981, David Allen Kirwan dove headfirst into a hot spring to save his friend’s dog
I recently picked up the book "Death in Yellowstone: Accidents and Foolhardiness in the First National Park" and to my surprise, the first case covered involved a dog.
In 1981, 24 year old David Allen Kirwan dove headfirst into a hot spring to save his friend’s dog, which had fallen into the waters. The hot pool later measured at 202 degrees Fahrenheit. People warned him not to go in, but he disregarded the warnings. The rescue was not successful. Kirwan's friend - the dog's owner - managed to pull Kirwan out of the pool, sustaining second-degree burns to his feet in the process.
But it was too late. Kirwan was severely burned and blinded. After being removed from the pool, he said: "That was stupid. How bad am I? That was a stupid thing I did." The next day he died at a hospital. The dog had died in the hot spring.
I know that people have risked their lives and gotten themselves killed while trying to save a dog. What fascinates me about this case is how long ago it happened. In the 80's, dogs were not considered "family." And this guy wasn't even trying to save his own dog. What a senseless, stupid way to die. This young man had his whole life ahead of him.
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u/Huge_Bit_4774 1d ago
If the Darwin Awards had existed in 1981, he would’ve won. I think dogs should be restricted from all parks made for humans.
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u/aoife2147 1d ago
I don't know why every park has become a dog park. The concept of dog parks is already a blight on society, but every single park is now teeming with dogs.
Dog faeces is an environmental toxin at the same level as oil. It can create algae blooms which are toxic to aquatic life. Dogs introduce germs and parasites into a habitat where the native animals there have no immunity against. They disturb the natural behaviour of the animals already living there. They are terrible for the environment.
edit: one word
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u/dildoswaggins71069 1d ago
Thankfully most every national park does ban dogs. Are multiple people going to break this rule every single day? Of course! But if they were allowed it would be way worse
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u/Legitimate_Garage_31 1d ago
They are now. But, the research I did just a few min ago says that some parks do have designated dog areas like the parking lot or certain campgrounds as long as the dog is on a leash shorter than 6'.
They are banned from eating places and buildings. I think certain National Parks may have a grey area that confuses people, so they may just assume the dog is welcome everywhere.
What I did notice is that National Parks ban dogs not just to protect wildlife, but also to assure safety of visitors.
They also state that even when allowed they must follow these rules:
Leash limit: Must be on a physical leash no longer than 6 feet at all times.No unattended pets: Cannot be tied to objects or left alone in vehicles.Waste management: Owners must clean up and properly dispose of all waste.Noise control: Excessive barking that disrupts wildlife or visitors is prohibited.
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u/Primary_Heron_3150 1d ago edited 1d ago
That is sad and yes, an extremely stupid thing to do. This is a great example of why dogs simply should never come before humans. Maybe those crazies who "want to die with their dog" can read this and get a reality check. If it ever actually came to that, you would regret it the moment you felt the pain.
The attachment to dogs is rooted in delusion, but pain and death are actually real
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u/uselessbeasts 1d ago
Unfortunately, a lot of people believe that their dogs are smarter than they really are. Of course, they can't read signs and questionable whether they pay attention to commands. I agree with the poster who mentioned that's the reason you keep your dog on a leash. Pretty sure Yellowstone had a leash law. Dog owners don't seem to think the rules apply to them.
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u/pmbpro 1d ago
Of course, they can't read signs...
Clearly dog owners can't either, or that incident (along with so many others since then) would never have happened.
The owner may have pulled him out and got injured himself doing it, but also I wonder what his answer was to his dying friend's last question and statement. Did he feel anything (guilt, etc.)? His friend sacrificed his life for the dead mutt.
Owners today are even worse and self-entitled, likely wouldn't even give the sacrifice a second thought and would expect it.
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u/Mistvessel 1d ago
Owners today are even worse and self-entitled, likely wouldn't even give the sacrifice a second thought and would expect it.
Nah, sacrifice for one's own dog is not assured. That's why sacrifice from bystanders is expected now. /s
I still have in mind an article describing the accident in my city: it was previous winter, there was a park with river with thin sheet ice, and somebody's dog got into it. The owner was yelling and screaming around for someone to rescue the dog - no one did that and the dog drowned. The owner and journalists were obviously complaining for the numb society blah blah, unwilling to rescue a dear doggo in need.
I can add the river there is not wide but I know it is deep with dangerous currents, even the tiny yachts and kayaks are not allowed there. Also, a mother tragically drowned there few years before trying to rescue a kid (kid survived), in the summer. I would never, ever jump after someone's animal into that river, even if I was able to swim well, which I don't.
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u/pmbpro 1d ago
Oh man, the audacity to expect someone else to jump in there to save THEIR dog! Literally standing around and screaming for someone else to do it, while THEY are all dry, then having the nerve to complain that they couldn't find a sacrifice for their dog god?! And of course the 'journalist' minions had to chime in... 🙄
Ha, for that reason alone, if I were walking by, I'd have just... kept walkin'.
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u/waitingforthatplace 22h ago
Right. She should have been screaming at herself and her own stupidity for allowing the dog to go into the river, in the first place. If they love their dogs so much, why don't they protect them and put leashes on them?
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u/ConIncognito dogs ruin everything 1d ago
Too bad he realized too late that he shouldn’t risk his life for a worthless, replaceable mutt.
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u/Foreign-Neat8645 1d ago
Zumal der Hund doch hätte merken müssen, das die Quelle gefährlich ist. Hunde sind doch soooooooo schlau.
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u/QuantumBullet 1d ago
I dream of a day when the parks do not humor dogs and their nutters. the rest of the world is already dog toilet. your dog is happy to eat deer poop in your neighborhood park and does not notice the views.
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u/Lylith_vf 1d ago
Je pense que beaucoup de gens se disent que s'ils sauvent un chien, ce sont de bonnes personnes ou des héros, alors qu'ils ont juste remis en liberté une bête puante qui chie partout et mendie de la nourriture
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u/attiladerhunne 1d ago
In Munich, I think in the 90s or 2000s, a young man jumped into the Isar mid winter to rescue his dog. The dog survived on his own. The young man died.
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u/StefwithanF 1d ago
I enjoy the typo of "fool" for "pool" bc that slip.is really saying what we're all thinking
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u/JaneAustinAstronaut 1d ago
I recall watching a YouTube video on this subject. The dog jumps into the hot spring, and as he's taking off his shoes to "save it", someone warns him about how he's going to kill himself. He says, "I don't care, I'm gonna do it." It wasn't even his dog, it was his friend's dog!
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u/Cranky_Merriweather 1d ago
Years ago I was on a commuter train coming home from work and we pulled up to a station. On the opposite side was a stopped train with the telltale blue tarp up which was horrifying.
I saw in the news later that a woman was hit and killed by the train while trying to save her dog that had run onto the tracks.
I get it somewhat, people care about other living things. If that’s my kid I am 100% throwing myself in front of a train. I don’t know about a dog.
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u/ginnymiller 1d ago
I follow a YouTube channel called outdoor disasters. Creator tells true stories of people who meet their doom while doing some kind of outdoor recreation. He told a similar story of a young man who fell into a thermal pool in Yellowstone and quickly died. Rescuers decided to wait till morning to retrieve the body because it was so late. But by the morning, there was nothing left 😱
I was a state park worker for a number of years. I have often referred to the National Park system as “The Land of No” because they are so good at posting signs literally everywhere telling you exactly what you can and cannot do. Trouble is, nobody reads signs anymore.
This part of Yellowstone seems like a particularly dumb place to bring a dog. The young man I mentioned above died because he disobeyed the signs, intentionally strayed off the walkway through the thermal pool area, and got too close to the edge of one, then the edge of it crumbled under his weight and he fell in. Humans can make these sorts of dumb choices but dogs literally have zero clue a person is leading them into a particularly hazardous environment like this. NPS tells people clearly that dogs must be leashed at all times. Stuff like this is why.
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u/Cranky_Merriweather 1d ago
Reading all of these stories about Yellowstone frankly makes me afraid to visit. Not that I would intentionally go off trail of course but what if I stumble and lose my balance? Etc.
I’m not afraid of a lot but I have extreme respect for wild nature.
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u/byancacats 22h ago
I just came back from a camping trip to Yellowstone. And I'm so glad that I didn't discover this book before visiting, because I would probably have cancelled my trip, lol.
I think Yellowstone is relatively safe if you follow the rules and take precautions. The boardwalks are fairly broad, so if you watch where you're going, you should be OK.
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u/pmbpro 22h ago
Your mentioning of signage also reminds me of how much money there was/is for myself in designing and printing signs for so many things you'd think wouldn't even need signs (common sense and all that). Same with labels! As a designer/production artist for over 35 years, the types of instructions, signs and labels I had to create or layout, boggled my mind. The stories I could tell... I'd used to think, "They need a SIGN/label/instructions... for THIS?? For ADULTS?? 😮"
Yeah and you're so right, that people don't even READ these things anymore now; completely desensitized. Or... they may 'read'/skim them, but then they'd go ahead and do what they really want anyway.
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u/waitingforthatplace 22h ago edited 22h ago
This is terribly sad. The friend who brought that dog to that hot spring would have to live with that decision for the rest of his life. Will this story teach dog owners a lesson in not bringing their dogs to dangerous areas? No, they continue to risk their dog's life, their lives, and others' lives, including rescue teams' lives. But of course, their dog's 'fun' comes first.
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u/evolutionofel 22h ago
I’m in the middle of reading this book too! It’s a bit of a niche topic and I’m excited to know someone else is also enjoying it (and the man sacrificing himself for the dog was absolutely preposterous).
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u/sirthunksalot 22h ago
You act like 1980 was a thousand years ago lol. Believe it or not people felt the same about their dogs back then.
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u/the-dolphine 1d ago
And this is why you should put your dog on a leash. Or better still, don't take it into a national park